introducing puppy to adult dog

Question
We have a 2 yr. old Miniature Schnauzer and a friend of a friend wants to find a new home for his 5 month old Miniature Schnauzer(moving and cannot take). I am worried about compatibility with the dogs. The puppy lives several states away, so a gradual meeting would be difficult to arrange. My dog is well trained and is a beloved family member with full run of the house. The puppy would not have this freedom until chewing days were long gone. Are we setting ourselves up for trouble, or could they learn to live together? Thank you!

Answer
They most certainly can learn to live happily together, but a lot would depend on their levels of dominance. You certainly don't want to bring a dominant puppy into a house with another dominant dog, particularly if they are both males. That is just asking for trouble. One should always be more dominant and the other more submissive.

When the puppy arrives, it is helpful to introduce them both in a neutral area, such as a nearby park. Failing that, what I do here is to put the newcomer in a crate and let them met each other for the first time through the crate door, correcting the resident dog for aggressiveness if necessary. I never have them out together until the resident dog begins to ignore the newcomer, and then I bring the newcomer out with supervision. This can be a matter of a few hours, or even days, depending on the dogs.

Karen